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Brochures promote products and services, and should be carefully thought out before they're written, printed and distributed. OUT THERE PRODUCTIONS has provided the following information for you to review. If you need help, contact us. We prepare brochures that suit your message, your reader and your budget.

What's the Purpose of the Brochure?

A brochure is generated when a message must be communicated. Corporate brochures provide information about the company, and product brochures include information describing the product(s). Which will yours be? Will it describe one particular product, or several? Who will read the brochure, and what will you tell them? Determining the answers to these questions will help in establishing the content, additional material (if any) that must accompany the brochure, its length, the quantity required and its overall quality.

If several messages are intended, consider separate pieces for each. For example, a list of frequently asked questions can be prepared as a stand-alone item that can, but doesn't have to, accompany the brochure. A corporate backgrounder (typically prepared as part of a press kit) can also be distributed on an as-needed basis, since some types of brochures often don't require extensive descriptions about the company.

If the brochure's intent is to summarize products and services, don't write beyond brief descriptions. Offer a mechanism for them to obtain further information, and prepare for these responses with more detailed literature.

How will the Brochure be Used?

Brochures can be developed to work with other materials such as product descriptions or catalogs, sales announcements, press releases, etc. If this the only way a customer will be receiving your brochure, make sure it works in harmony with these other pieces. Select a style that's consistent with these related materials, and avoid repeating information that's already contained in these other pieces.

If you're planning to develop a stand-alone brochure, make sure it includes all the information that's needed to convey your message.

How will the Brochure be Distributed?

If your brochure is going to be mailed internationally, make sure you consider postage costs in your budget. If the brochure is targeted as part of a direct mail campaign, will you want it mailed in envelopes, or should it be designed so that one's not needed? Will the brochure be distributed only during sales calls? If so, any other materials required to support it should be provided to sales offices. How about electronic distribution? Perhaps a self-running sales CD? Consider these factors before you determine a design.

How will you Respond?

Be sure to establish a follow-up strategy. When a customer requests one of your brochures, what will you do after you send it to them? And don't wait for them to call.

When the customer responds with a request for more information, what will you send? Prepare for these requests — they're what you wanted in the first place.

How will the Brochure Look?

Avoid becoming over-obsessed with the need for a brochure that's purely flashy. What your brochure says is just as important. So while visual appeal is vital, the brochure's content should be considered first.

Overall, your brochure's layout should be reflect your corporate brand, and appeal to your intended audience. The layout should direct the reader's eye to the critical information, and be easy to read. Take a look at competitor brochures and review how they work, from a look-and-feel standpoint. Ask yourself what you like - and don't like - about them.

Keep your Costs Down

How your brochure looks is the largest factor in determining the cost of production. Don't be fooled into believing you can't have an attractive and professionally produced brochure simply because you're on a tight budget.

First off, consider electronically disseminating your brochures via PDF files. Even if copies are needed for shows and sales calls, PDFs can be used from your web site and via email.

Regarding paper printing, several methods help lower costs:

• Use customized Shells. This will give you far more control over the content and quantity you require, and drastically reduce the cost per piece.
• Consider one-color printing instead of multiple colors. The cost savings are substantial. And don't think you can't achieve high impact with only one color: we have killer samples of one-color work that will surprise you!
• Reduce the number of pages. You'll cut printing and mailing costs, and your audience might even appreciate it. (Understand that we mean you should eliminate information — not white space).
• Don't try to include everything. The chances are good that you can eliminate any corporate information if the brochure will be (or can be) accompanied by a Corporate Backgrounder that will overview the company — and this piece can easily be produced on corporate stationary and printed in-house right from your laser printer. Review the brochure to uncover other types of information that can be sacrificed in lieu of accompanying materials, and you may end up with a smaller brochure that's less expensive to print.

Whatever you do, try not to lower the quantity you require. If your brochure ends up costing so much that you're only willing to provide it to 'good' customers, rethink your objectives. Don't hoard the stock: the point of developing a brochure is distribute the information.

Preparing the Brochure's Content

The most important rule to remember when generating the text for your brochure is that you're not writing for every audience — just yours. This is significantly different than writing content for a web site. Here are some important guidelines:

Don't focus on YOU. As difficult as it may be to comprehend, your customers don't really care about you. They care about what you can do for them. Avoid self-gratifying copy. Focus on the customer and their needs.

Don't shortchange the order form. It should be the first part of the brochure you prepare, not the last. You're focussing on responses. Make it easy to use and make sure that you've captured all of the information needed to process inquiries or orders.

Don't try to tell it all. There's a lot you'd like to say about your products and services, but if you say too much you risk overwhelming the reader. The more complicated your message, the less likely the customer will be to wade through it to get at the meat of your offer.

Don't say to little. The opposite problem of including too much in your brochure is not saying enough about the right things. It's a delicate balance, but it can be achieved.

Measure the effectiveness of your brochure. Don't just develop a brochure and decide it's perfect. Set up a process for determining the effectiveness of the piece and make revisions to improve response.

Update the information regularly. Never become complacent about your product literature. Continue to revise and perfect it throughout the course of its life.

Call OUT THERE PRODUCTIONS. We specialize in preparing literature for marketing, sales and public relations materials. If you'd like more information on how we can help prepare your next brochure, contact us.